


La flor y sus espinas

by Smolliee



Category: ASTRO (Band), NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, and uploading, ive uploaded this before but i didnt update so im back
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 23:31:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18839005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smolliee/pseuds/Smolliee
Summary: It was her chaosThat made her beautiful.– AtticusLee Taeyong. What would be the best way to describe this person?Honestly, I don’t know.He was– is perfection even if other people would say otherwise.He was so perfect in his imperfection.So perfect, it made me interested.So imperfect, it made me want to dig deeper, deeper than what he offered to give me.I wanted to research him. Understand him.But then again, it was as if he was blank.There was no real definition of a Lee Taeyong.There was a fake definition of a Lee Taeyong.There was no real information about Lee Taeyong.There was fake information about Lee Taeyong.Lee Taeyong was something– someone unknown.The real Lee Taeyong, I mean.Jung Jaehyun. He was a mystery.So beautiful, so real, so curious for answers.Always asking questions, never thinking about the consequences.Always going in for the kill.Not caring if he got stung by the thornsOf the flower, he wanted to research so desperately.





	La flor y sus espinas

Another class went by without the male in question. Another day went by with another writing down notes and collecting worksheets and homework for said male. Another week went by with guessing as to where the said male was, what he was doing and why he was doing it.

Maybe getting into another fight? Maybe selling or taking drugs? Maybe selling his body or another one’s body being sold to him?

Absurd really, if you’d ask him, Jung Jaehyun.

Frankly, he didn’t know Lee Taeyong well. The male lived in the house down the street of theirs. The resident of the Lee’s looked quite pretentious if you’d ask Jung Jaehyun.

The outside of the grand house took on the color of a greyish white, its pristine color turning dirty after the years passed by. The garden had dead spots on it whilst other parts were flourished with weed that hadn’t been picked for at least the past few years as they’ve grown to be of large height. People who didn’t know that it was the Lee’s residence, would’ve said that it’s a haunted house which used to belong to a mad man before dying of old age. Some kids even believe that, as it was rare to see someone walk out of the dark oaked door.

 

“Jaehyun-ie”, a voice called out in a lisp, quite common for the foreign boy whose voice the person in question recognizes without looking at him. “Hey Yanan.”, he smiled gently when looking up, “Ready to go home?” The boy nodded gingerly, happy to get away from the school that basically scrutinizes him for not being good at Korean.

Jaehyun stood up, stuffing his bag with the books and exercise books he used for this class, being extra careful with the red one, as it wasn’t his to keep. Sicheng frowned a little, not being displeased per se, just mildly confused. “You’re still copying notes for him?”, he asked to which he only got returned with a hum by Jaehyun who was picking up a stray pen that rolled off the table without him noticing during class, “Don’t you think it’s enough already? He hasn’t been to school the past month Jaehyun! And it’s not like he accepts the notes and the handouts anyway.”

Jaehyun stopped in motion for a second before continuing to put the pen into his pencil case. “We’re taking exams soon Yanan. Taeyong might need them.”, he said, voice tight, as he knew exactly that what he was saying was utter bullshit.

Taeyong didn’t even need them in the first place. He was a bright boy; he was the top of the class without trying.

Some say he fucks his way to the top, but Jaehyun doubts it; he has seen the male’s answering sheet when the teacher accidentally gave him Taeyong’s rather than his own. It was flawless, no red marker that crossed out the incorrect answer and replaced it with the correct one. No; the only thing that was written there in red ink was a “100/100” and the teacher’s signature.

 

“Jaehyun– “, Yanan tried again, but Jaehyun just shut him off by stuffing his pencil case in the bag and zipping it up, wasting no second to throw it over his shoulder and heading towards the door of the classroom. Jaehyun stopped by the door, turning around and saying in a mediocre loud voice “Have a nice day Mr. Wang!”.

The young teacher with huge eyes just smiled at him and wished him a nice day as well, and Jaehyun exited said classroom, leaving only Mr. Wang and Sicheng in the room.

 

The tall Chinese boy sighed and lets his head hang low, knowing well he fucked up and was done for. “Fight with Yoonoh again? About Taeyong, I assume?”, the English teacher asked in his native tongue, which happened to be Chinese. Yanan only dropped his head lower and hummed: “I’m just trying to help him…”, he trailed off. Mr. Wang went over to him and ruffled his fluffy hair. “Time will resolve everything, don’t worry.”, the elder said and Yanan looked up. Although he was taller than the English teacher, it felt like he looked up to him. Mr.Wang just smiled at the boy who looked like he was a kicked puppy. Yanan let out another sigh before mustering up to mirror a less bright smile, but a smile nonetheless.

“When are you coming over again actually? Xuxi has been asking for you.”, the teacher gave a knowing smirk, as he was talking about his cousin who has a weird attachment towards Yanan as the two of them practically grew up together. But Xuxi, also known as Lucas, was a slacker so to speak. He entered a less prestigious school as to the one where his cousin teaches, even though he has proven multiple times that he didn’t even need to study to get high enough grades to enrol in said school.

“Tell him I’ll come around when I can to play with him.”, Yanan said, a few words being muttered afterwards that were along the lines of “He should stop being a child.”

Mr. Wang smiled maliciously and was enjoying the little entertainment of teasing the male 6 years his junior, so he continued. “So ya’ll gonna go ahead and play? What are you gonna play? M-“, before Mr Wang could continue, Yanan flailed his arms and screeched before sprinting out of the classroom and screaming curses very loudly in his native tongue, leaving Mr Wang as a laughing mess inside the classroom.

 

\--

 

As Jaehyun walked out of school, forgetting to tank his car the day before and being unable to drive by the gasoline station on the way to school, he thought about what Yanan has said earlier.

 

It wasn’t a lie what he had said. It was the truth in all type of forms.

Jaehyun has copied notes for him, collected worksheets for him, but all of his hard work has always been declined with a stoic face and a brush on the shoulder as the shorter male left him standing there like an idiot as he was holding a stack of papers and exercise books.

Nevertheless, Jaehyun couldn’t feel any remorse towards the other. Of course, he was disappointed by the rejection given to him, but in all honesty, what did he expect?

A kiss on the cheek and a smile gracing him as the shorter would thank him as if he was some kind of entity to be worshipped? Jaehyun couldn’t expect that. Not from Lee Taeyong.

Maybe he could from one of those bimbos loitering around school who’d approach him every break with their breast falling out of their shirts and their skirts so high he could basically see things nobody wanted to see.

 

Jaehyun wouldn’t say he hates those types of people, but he mildly despised them.

He craved for a person that had dignity. That swayed him merely by the fact that it was them and not the shell of their body. He wanted realism; he wanted personality, not a person that would hook up with any guy as long as they were hot and willing to be their 1-week-sugar-daddy. Sure, those people had _plenty_ of personalities. As in– their personality would turn from angel to fuck up. Kind of like:” Give me your fucking dick and money or else I’ll fuck you up till you feel the need to put a restraining order on me”.

 

Back to the point– Lee Taeyong. He has been missing in action for a month already, which has been the longest he has ever been absent from school. He’d be absent for normally one to two weeks until he returns with more bruises than the last time and with an air surrounding him, that would make you scram immediately once you’re even near him.

Lee Taeyong had a specific aura to him. An aura that told you to fuck off and not come near him. Yet if you stepped one step too far, the aura changes immediately. It changes into a fragile one. One with fear. But no one comes even close to this boundary. Why? Simply because they are already scared by his intimidating aura. Too scared to even go near him.

However, Jung Jaehyun isn’t they. He oversteps it with an intent to get closer to the other. To reveal what this beautiful flower called Lee Taeyong has been trying to hide.

   


\---

   


“Dongmin-ah. Dongmin-ah”, his name was called out in a soft whisper by a rather deep yet soothing voice. His eyes opened like in one of those fairy tales his brother used to read for him when he was younger. He saw said brother in front of him, one of his big eyes framed by a lilac color and a cut siding it on the other eye. His lips were busted and dried blood was seen dripping down from it. “Dongmin, dad is sleeping.”, he informed him, “Come on. It’s time. Stand up.”

Dongmin knew what this meant.

They’ll be free. Free from this abuse. Free from this hell. This excuse of a home.

Dongmin quickly sat up from the cold floor, no central heating available as it would cost too much, hell, they didn’t even have money for food. Not even a fucking cent.

Dongmin’s vision turned black for a moment as dizziness settled in and his world turned. “Easy, Minnie. No need to rush.”, his brother caressed soothing circles on his back as the dizziness dissipates, “Dad just fell asleep, it’ll take a while till he wakes up.”

When Dongmin’s vision cleared, he saw his brother wearing a packed backpack and holding another one in his hand.

“Stand up.”, he whispered, looking over his shoulder to see their father still sleeping. Dongmin did as told but as he took the backpack from his older brother, the bag fell from his grip and it made a loud thud noise. They all turned to peer over their father who started to stir and shuffle, but his movements ceased and stilled eventually and the two brothers let a breath out that they unknowingly withheld in their chest.

“Come on, let’s leave before he wakes up.”, his brother said, grasping his wrist whilst silently tiptoeing out of the room, the bare tip of their feet hitting the cold floor in quiet strides. They walked down the stairs in a rushed yet careful manner and whilst tying their shoes, not bothered by how worn out they were or how they didn’t wear socks underneath it, Dongmin’s older brother realized he forgot something vital for their escape. Money. "Fuck, _Fuck,_ the money."

“Dongmin-ah, get out of the house and wait by the door, I’m going ahead and grab our money okay? Count to 240 and if Hyung isn’t back by then, I want you to run away. Can you do that for Hyung?”, he asked, taking Dongmin’s face into his hands and searching for an affirmative yes in his younger brother’s brown orbs. Dongmin gripped his brother's hands tightly. "Hyung we can do without the money. What's important right now is that we have to go.", Dongmin tried to convince his brother.

He couldn't stand the thought of his brother even stepping a foot further back into the house than they already are. "No, Dongmin. You don't understand. Money is important here, we  **need** the money to escape. we won't be able to otherwise.", his brother said loosening his grip on the smaller's hands.

“But Hyung, what if dad wakes up and sees you?”, Dongmin asked, afraid for his brother’s safety. “That’s why I want you to run if I’m not back in 240 seconds.”, his brother answered, looking back up the flight of stairs,” We don’t have time to lose, Minnie. Trust Hyung, everything will be fine.”

And with that, his Hyung turned around but before he could step on the first stair, Dongmin took ahold of his wrist, trapping the skinny bone with both his hands wrapped around as he shook his head. “No, I can’t risk losing you Hyung. I can’t be the only one of us two who might end up free; I want us both to be free.”

His Hyung looked at him with a softened gaze, but that didn’t last long as it hardened into coldness. “Dongmin, listen to your Hyung. I thought you were a smart child, but you can’t even follow an order.”, Dongmin visibly got shaken up by the harsh tone of his brother but didn’t let it show as he hung his head low, “Now go outside and wait for me. Don’t forget to count till 240.”

Dongmin loosened his grip and eventually lets his hands fall to his sides. His brother lets out a huff of fake frustration as he continues his way up the stairs and Dongmin dejectedly turns around and opens the door to the outer world as he steps across the threshold, he can hear his brother’s quiet footsteps.

He started counting, _1…2…3...4…5…6…_ He went on and soon enough, he was at 130 and panic started arising in his gut. It shouldn’t take his brother this long to get the money, but he stayed put and continued counting. _142…143…144…145…146…147..._ As the numbers continued running through his head, the uneasiness got heavier and he started fidgeting with his fingers whilst tilting his body side to side, shifting his weight from the left foot to the right foot and vice versa. He was at 190 and he mentally knew it would only be a further 50 seconds when he was supposed to run away from their home and into freedom without his older brother.  _230._ He was at 230. How could time pass by so quickly even though Hyung had told him that the more you anticipate for something to come the longer it takes? His breath started to become harsher, panic settled in his brain, his instincts telling him to go back inside but he couldn't, his Hyung ordered him to stay put and he shall stay put if that's what his brother told him to.

_Two-hundred-and-thirty-eight, two-hundred-and-thirty-nine, two-hundred-and-…_

“Dongmin-ah.”, a voice interrupted the last number and Dongmin snapped his eyes open, having not even realized he had shut them due to frustration. He looked up and there stood his Hyung, cash being squeezed into crumbled up paper in his hands.

“Okay, now we’ll– Ah!”, his brother’s head was pulled back by his hair in such a force his whole body tumbled back inside the house. “The fuck you think ya’ll going to, you shits?”, a deep voice resonated in the warm spring breeze, which now feels so icy cold in his presence. “D-Dad.”, Dongmin stuttered out as his father dragged his brother back by the hair and lets go, making his brother’s head collide with the brick floor, and a loud thump came from the contact.

“Get in here Dongmin!”, his father roared as his brother, who was lying on the ground, groaned. “Fucking shit, Dongmin–“, his brother chocked as he was kicked harshly into the sides of his ribs. He continued coughing as Dongmin witnessed the scene in horror. They’re going to die now if they don’t find a way to escape. “Dongmin, get the fuck in”, his father gave him a pointed look and advanced towards the young one. Unbeknownst to him, the older one of his two sons stood up and latched himself onto his father. “Dongmin. Run!”, his brother shouted as he and his father fought for dominance.

And as his older brother told Dongmin, trust Hyung’s words.

Therefore, he ran.

He ran until his lungs hurt.

He ran for safety, for safety without his brother.

  


 ---

  


Pant. Pant. His breath was uneven, erratic, his breath going through his body as if it was fire, burning his throat and lungs. Unlike his breath, his feet hit the ground in a rhythmic manner, running like something is following him. Maybe there is something chasing him? He doesn’t know. He’s not allowed to look back; it’ll slow him down on his path to his destination. Where was even his destination? He doesn't know. He knows his destination would be where his brother was.

 Tears streamed down his face as if it was imitating a waterfall whilst people looked and stared at him weirdly. I mean who wouldn’t?

A child at the age of nine, running around in ragged clothes and worn out shoes whilst looking so malnourished he’s about to pass out. But of course, no one halted him. On another point, they were too focused on themselves than helping a helpless child.

His head hung low, not seeing any obstacles that could halt him. Not seeing the danger, he could put himself in. Only seeing that he left the sidewalk and was walking on the streets, a car racing his way as he stopped.

This was his destination; this was the end.

If it were only him who was going to be free, then he’d rather die than be here, free, without his brother.

But before the car could hit him to death, he was met with a shout and a force, engulfing him in a hug and pushing away from the car as the driver of the car just loudly shouted:” Fucking kids! All out of their fucking mind and ‘bout to give someone else the fault for their death.”

“You shithead! You almost ran a fucking kid over and all you could is fucking cuss at them?! Asshole, you’re driving at fucking 80 when you suppose to drive at 40!”, the guy who saved him shouted at the driver as his chest vibrated and Dongmin could hear his own blood pumping in his ears. Someone cared. This someone could save his Hyung. This someone could help them.

The stranger loosened his grip and peered down at the younger as he sat up. “You okay, kid?”, he said, a small smile gracing his lips as dimples appeared on his cheeks. The stranger raised his hand to the younger’s cheek and caressed it as he pushed away the tears. “Please don’t cry. You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you?”

More tears streamed down Dongmin’s face as he felt the warmth and kindness of the stranger. “Hyung.”, he said in a quivering voice, squeezing his eyes shut, “Please save my Hyung.”

 

This certainly wasn’t the way Jaehyun thought he’ll spend his Friday afternoon. Saving a child from a near car accident near his house. Being asked to save his Hyung. In addition, escorting this child back to his home. However, as they got closer to their destination, Jaehyun noticed something. The child looked achingly similar to Taeyong. Big eyes, small face, sickly thin body and a far too small frame for his age and spoke with such a high intelligence like Taeyong did his age. Nevertheless, he didn’t pay it much mind.

On the way to the child’s house, the younger explained the situation and in all honesty, Jaehyun couldn’t believe what was coming from the younger. It sounded so much like one of those crime dramas his mother oh so lovingly watched, but the look on the younger’s face said otherwise. Made him believe the fact that their father was abusive, that his brother and him were supposed to run away today, that his Hyung had to rush upstairs because he forgot the money, that their father caught them before they could leave, that his brother jumped onto their father to give Dongmin time to run away.

It was a lot to take in, but it was a lot more for a child to witness it in person.

But when Dongmin finally halted, Jaehyun came to terms with what he feared the most. The Lee’s resident. It looked vile in comparison to how it looked back then. White walls that turned into a light grey after time passed. Windows blocked with worn out blinds that had holes in them. Dead grass adoring the porch and a fence surrounding it as dead roses climbed their way up the fence. It used to be beautiful but as time went on, they started dying and wilting away.

Jaehyun gulped, as the lump of salvia in his throat made him feel like he was suffocating. Jaehyun looked downwards, looking at the younger boy who continued to look more and more like his older brother as Jaehyun continued to stare at him.” Are you…Taeyong’s brother?”, Jaehyun croaked out, voice thick whilst Dongmin whipped his head to face the tall stranger, eyes wide. “You know Hyung?”, Dongmin asked. Jaehyun swallowed again, this one dry and he nodded. And then it hit him. Taeyong is in danger. Jaehyun whipped out his phone from his back pocket and dialed a phone number everyone who went to school at least until middle school knew.

“911, what’s your emergency?”, the operator answered and Jaehyun heaved a breath. “Hello, here’s Jung Jaehyun. I’m here with a 9-year-old child named Lee Dongmin and he has told me that his brother is in immediate help as the two of them live with their abusive father. I am in front of their porch and alongside with me is Lee Dongmin. I need you to send some police officers here in case something escalates.”

“I need you to tell me the address, and the police will be on their way.”, Jaehyun did as told and ended the call with “I’m entering the threshold now; I want you to come here right away.” The operator insisted for him to wait and he did, he waited 2 minutes until he groaned and said, “Listen, where are they?”. It was clear that he was in distress; it was Lee Taeyong after all that they were talking about. “They are around the corner sir.”, the operator said and Jaehyun went ahead and declared, “Okay, that’s near enough I’m going in.” “Sir, wait– “, he couldn’t wait any longer and he hung up. He turned to Dongmin:” Go to the corner and wait for the police. I don’t want your father to see you.”

 

In all honesty, this change of character was weird. Jaehyun wasn’t one to be this bold and disobey the law but this was about Taeyong, the person he craves for so much. Craved to discover and know all of his secrets, all of him. He wanted to research and discover him. He wanted him.

 

Jaehyun went up to the porch and rang the doorbell. He turned around and saw that Dongmin still stood there, deer in the headlights and Jaehyun motioned for him to go away and Dongmin finally snapped out of it, running away immediately. Jaehyun turned to face the door at a perfect time as the door opened as soon as he faced it.

A quite shorter yet larger man who looked like he’s in his late 40s opened the door. He wore a wife beater and boxer shorts and in all honesty, it looked like his clothes were about to burst, not to mention that the material below his armpit was stained sickly yellow and there were moth holes in his t-shirt. Overall, you could just say that he looked disgusting.

“Hello, I’m Jung Jaehyun. I wanted to ask if Taeyong is here?”, he said politely, trying to see if the elder would keep Taeyong hidden or hand him over immediately and in Jaehyun’s subconscious, he could hear the distant sound of police sirens. The man in front of him sneered and looked up to Jaehyun, trying to be intimidating but Jaehyun wasn’t even scared the slightest bit. He was quite amused by how the male acted in all honesty.

“Who the fuck are you?”, the man, who Jaehyun assumed to be Taeyong and Dongmin’s father, asked. Jaehyun was quite annoyed as he has already introduced himself but the man just has to stretch this conversation. “Listen, I have got no time to chit-chat. Either you bring him here or I’ll just fucking trespass.”, Jaehyun loomed over the elder. The man dropped the intimidating act and sighed, stepping aside to let the younger in.

 

In all honesty, Jaehyun was surprised by the way he himself acted. It was unnatural, unusual. As if someone else was controlling him instead of himself. He was a quiet, well-behaved person, not stepping out of line and always respectful towards his elderly and never cussed in front of them. Moreover, he definitely didn’t loom them. It just wasn’t him. But the thought of something happening to Taeyong made his blood boil, made him do things irrationally, think irrationally. He wanted Taeyong safe. He wanted Taeyong for himself to protect.

 

Jaehyun stepped inside and saw the interior. Right away, on the left was a door to another room and beside it was a staircase that went up. If you continued to look forward, there was a wood door to the living room with cutouts for small glass windows that obviously have been shattered. On the right were closets that were probably for hanging your jackets and putting your shoes in. The door of those cabinets had a mirror covering it but one of the mirrors were shattered and the sides still had pieces of glass stuck to it. The inside of the house looked far worse than the outside. Jaehyun heard the man close the door of the house and something being picked up behind him. Glass on brick. Jaehyun’s eyes continued to wander and he saw various glass bottles scattered on the ground.

Footsteps could be heard attentively coming towards him and Jaehyun’s senses heightened and when he deemed the man near enough, he pushed back, elbow going first as he turned around, hitting the elder with so much force perfectly in the junction of his chest and his massive belly. The elder kneeled, his right hand clutching the green beer bottle while the left one covered the spot Jaehyun hit in an effort to lessen the pain and Jaehyun went over to one of the bottles on the ground, picking it up and going over to the older man. He squatted down in front of the man, using the bottle to put it under his chin and tilting his head. The older man just glared at him and Jaehyun smiled innocently at him in return. “So?”, Jaehyun started, “Mind telling me where Taeyong is?”.

This wasn’t Jaehyun. This was a psycho, a maniac. One that wouldn’t fear to shed blood for someone who he adores so much from the side yet has been ignored for so long. It was weird how fascinated he is with Taeyong. His mother and friends kept on telling him this, but he just wanted to research Taeyong and find out why he is the way he is. If a botanist can research and be fascinated with his new founding, why can’t Jaehyun be, although this one wasn’t a new founding, he has found him over almost 10 years ago, when he first moved here.

 

“The fuck do you want!?”, the older man wheezed out, still pained by the act Jaehyun initiated earlier. “I asked where Taeyong is.”, Jaehyun spat out, face contorting into anger as he was this close to hitting the man with the beer bottle. “Why should I tell you, you asshole?”, and Jaehyun had no time for this no more. He slid the beer bottle away from the man’s chin and stood up. The man continued to glare at him but a tad bit of relieve was found his narrow eyes, the complete opposite of Dongmin’s and Taeyong’s eyes. They probably got it from their mother.

Jaehyun stretched his limps for a moment, eyeing the man on the ground and analyzed how his muscles flexed and thinking about what the elder might try to do now. Probably stand up abruptly and try to swing at him. And would it be shocking if Jaehyun told you it was the case? Most likely not. Because that’s exactly what the elder attempted to do.

He stood up, pushing himself on his arms and standing there, hunched over due to the pain that has yet to subside. He swung at Jaehyun immediately and said male back stepped, something the older man didn’t think of as he used all of his weight to aim at Jaehyun and stumbled forward. Jaehyun raised his own arm to hit the elder with his own beer bottle on the back of his head and the father of two dropped to the ground afterward. The bottle shattered on impact and Jaehyun kneeled down again, the neck of the bottle tight in his grasp whilst from the shoulder onwards, the places where the glass shattered were obvious. “I swear to god, I’m going to fucking–“, the older man’s words were interrupted rudely by a loud and violent knock on the front door and Jaehyun just cooked warily at the old man. He stood up, throwing the glass bottle to the side and letting it crash as the remainders of the bottle finally splintered up as well. And stride over to the door, his long legs making the trip fast but at the thought, they were still in the hallway of the entrance.

As he was about to grasp the handle of the door and open said thing, a hand circled around his ankle in a tight hold and Jaehyun looked down and saw the pathetic looking man stare up at him with blood streaming down the middle of his face, making him look even more disappearing than he already was.

Jaehyun just scoffed and lifted his foot up with such a force that the man lost his grip on its ankle and Jaehyun just stomped on his hand when he let his footfall to the ground again, an ear-wrenching scream emitted from the father. “Don’t fucking touch me unless I permit you to do so.”, Jaehyun’s voice was laced with venom and authority he didn’t actually own towards the elder, but it made him feel so powerful and in charge, and in all honesty he feared, yet loved this new side of him.

 

Jaehyun turned back to face the door and press down on the handle and pulled it back in an effort to open it for the person on the other side to enter but then he realized he can’t step back because of the person lying on the ground behind him. Jaehyun groaned and shoved the man behind him back with his foot, the man actually still being conscious and thrashing around but Jaehyun didn’t care, he just wanted this over and done with.

He opened the door and it revealed to be the police as he had anticipated. He smiled sweetly at them and opened the door a bit wider for the police to see the man on the ground. The police officers looked between each other in question, wondering whom the actual predator was as the male in front of them who was still in his school uniform looked fine yet the older man on the ground was beaten up and was bleeding.

Jaehyun seemed to notice the tension and quickly spoke. “He wanted to hit me with a beer bottle so in a sense to defend myself, I hit his head with one as well.” The police nodded, still quite confused by the situation, but they believed the young man as it was a man of two sons who was reported for abuse, not an 18-year-old man who was about to graduate in a couple of months.

 

But although this was all happening, Jaehyun didn’t forget his target goal, saving Lee Taeyong whom he adored so much.

 

Jaehyun nodded at the police who moved forward to cuff the man on the ground and went ahead to run up the stairs. The house was enormous, it had seven bedrooms and three bathrooms in total, which meant this, would take quite a while for him to find the room in which Taeyong was kept captive.

However, that was proven untrue, because as he got further upstairs, he realized that there was bloodstain going towards one of the rooms. The blood still fresh and the metallic scent filling the air, Jaehyun just knew it belonged to the person he yearned so much for.

He followed the trail towards the room, the smell of blood intensifying as another scent also mixed with its irony palate. As Jaehyun went further, he came to note that it was a smell far too familiar for him. The smell of gasoline.

Jaehyun began to panic and he burst the door open, only to find...nothing.

  


An empty room.

  


Nothing.

Jaehyun went berserk, going from room to room searching for the boy. He rushed down where the officers were, running past them to the basement and again, nothing.

He was nowhere to be found.

Vanished. Gone. As if he never existed.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Smol here :)  
> I hope you liked this chap! This was actually a birthday gift for my best friend but I decided to alter the end.  
> If this seems familiar to you, then it may be because ive posted this before but didn't update it at all so i deleted it again,,  
> Leave a Kudo pleaaaaaase


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